Crispy Chickpea Falafel with Tahini Sauce
Dried chickpeas ground raw and fried hard, so the inside stays fluffy while the crust goes the color of strong tea.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min (plus overnight soak)
- Cook
- 15 min
- Written
Method
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Drain the soaked chickpeas well and pat them dry — they go into the food processor raw, never cooked.
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Pulse the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, and cilantro until finely chopped and the mixture holds together when pressed, stopping well short of a smooth paste.
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Stir in the cumin, coriander, baking powder, flour, and salt, then chill the mixture at least 1 hour, until it’s firm enough to shape without sticking to your hands.
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Form into 2-inch balls, flattening each slightly.
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Fry in 2 inches of oil at 350°F, in batches, until deeply browned and crisp on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes.
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Lift onto paper towels to drain while the next batch fries.
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Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, and grated garlic with enough water to loosen it into a pourable sauce.
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Tuck the falafel into warm pitas with the tahini sauce and serve right away.
Notes
Canned chickpeas turn to hummus the second a blade touches them — too much moisture, no structure, and the falafel disintegrates in the oil or needs enough flour to bind that it fries up dense and bready instead of light. Dried chickpeas soaked overnight but never cooked are what give the inside its fluffy, almost fritter-like crumb.
The chill isn’t optional either: straight from the processor the mixture is too loose to hold a shape, and a cold ball fries up crisper than a warm one. No deep fryer needed — a heavy pot with 2 inches of oil does the job, and the same mixture makes good patties if you’d rather sear them in a shallow film of oil.